aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

, a visual approach is an approach to a

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

at an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

conducted under

instrument flight rules In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fl ...

(IFR) but where the pilot proceeds by visual reference and clear of clouds to the airport. The pilot must at all times have either the airport or the preceding aircraft in sight. This approach must be authorized and under the control of the appropriate

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

(ATC) facility. The

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

(ICAO) definition adds that the visual approach can commence when "either part or all of an

instrument approach In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a lan ...

is not completed", varying only slightly from the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

regulation and is essentially identical.

Purpose

The visual approach allows a pilot to fly to the runway without having to perform an instrument approach. This can greatly reduce pilot and controller workload, and expedite traffic by shortening flight paths to the airport. Taking a shorter route to the airport in lieu of flying a complicated

instrument approach procedure In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a lan ...

(IAP) can increase pilot safety, as the critical tasks of approach and landing occur when pilots are most fatigued. Controllers also benefit from visual approaches, for whom a visual approach is an essential tool in the effort to maximize traffic flow (especially at busy airports). Visual approaches dramatically reduce controller workload—ATC's IFR separation requirements may be reduced, under specific rules and circumstances, which relieves controllers of the burden. Visual approaches can also result in additional risks such as the misidentification of the landing runway, which resulted in an

Atlas Air Atlas Air, Inc. is a major American cargo airline, charter airline, passenger charter airline, and Aircraft lease, aircraft lessor based in White Plains, New York. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Atlas Air is t ...

Boeing 747 LCF landing at the small Colonel James Jabara Airport rather than McConnell Air Force Base where it intended to land. Other similar incidents have occurred. Particularly in congested airspace, visual approaches can increase pilot workload due to the high situational awareness required. This is because when a pilot accepts a visual approach, the pilot accepts responsibility for establishing a safe landing interval behind the preceding aircraft, as well as wake-turbulence avoidance and to remain clear of clouds. According to ICAO Doc. 4444, (def., 6.5.3 + 6.5.4.3 + 8.9.5) an approach by an IFR flight when either part or all of an instrument approach procedure is not completed and the approach is executed in visual reference to terrain. The pilot shall maintain visual reference to terrain and the reported ceiling shall be at or above the approved initial approach level. Metrological conditions is such that a visual approach and landing can be completed. For radar vectors, a clearance for visual approach shall only be issued if the pilot has reported the aerodrome or preceding aircraft in sight, at the time where vectors would normally cease. Part-NCO.OP page 27: A visual approach is not permitted when runway visual range (RVR) is less than 800 metres.

References

{{reflist Air traffic control Types of final approach (aviation) Visual flight rules

Purpose

See also

References